Wednesday, October 28, 2015

“I Know What I Know” by Geographer - A Song Review

In reviewing recent posts, we have spent a lot of time in the UK. Physically, we haven’t been within 5,000 miles of the UK in the last month. Musically, our posts have visited the area often, particularly for a blog that is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Well, it’s time to talk about a blogworthy song from the San Francisco-based band Geographer.

Geographer recently released “I Know What I Know.” The song incorporates an array of elements. Early in the song, we hear a Synth-generated sound similar to that made famous by MGMT’s “Time to Pretend” and “Kids” (the TimewARP 2600 synthesizer?). And we love the guitar that first enters at the 0:56 mark.

The song is a cover of a track from Paul Simon’s highly praised 1986 album, “Graceland.” Simon was inspired by the South African sound and even included the Gaza Sisters to provide unconventional backing vocals. No disrespect to the very gifted Paul Simon, but we certainly prefer the Geographer cover.

The members of Geographer are Mike Deni (vocals, guitar, keys, synth), Joyce Lee cello, synth), Duncan Nielsen (guitar, bass, synth, vocals) and Cody Rhodes (drums). The press material of the band is pasted at the bottom of this post.

San Francisco-based romantic indie pop artist Geographer (aka Mike Deni) creates timeless compositions by fusing blossoming synths with precise orchestral arrangements. With the release of his third LP Ghost Modern (Roll Call Records) earlier this year, Geographer fashioned his most cohesive and compelling work to date out of a desire to instill thoughtful songwriting back into today’s popular music.

Deni, out of an almost Freudian attraction to water, wrote much of the record during trips to a cliff overlooking the beach in the Presidio of San Francisco to write lyrics in the back of his car. Despite the cleansing nature of the scenery, he considers the meticulous writing process one of the most difficult and greatest learning experiences of his life.

While taking time off to craft material for the follow-up this summer, Deni recalled a cover he produced last year of the Arthur Russell track “This Is How We Walk On The Moon.” The re-working had been so inspiring for Deni that he decided to record an entire oeuvre of covers, culminating in the release of the "Endless Motion EP," set for release this December and to feature re-workings of tracks by Felix Da Housecat, New Order, Kate Bush, and Paul Simon. The project, a prelude to tour dates with RAC and 'The Big One' New Year’s Show in San Francisco with The Flaming Lips, puts the lush instrumentation that has become synonymous with Geographer on full display.